Like A Human
by nuddles
Summary: In a very near future, adoptable androids are built, created to function like a human. Upon being rejected by his crush, Kageyama Tobio finds a strange abandoned android in a cardboard box. In the middle of a problematic life, he stumbles upon an adorable boy that will keep him warm for a long time.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I hope you enjoy this cute lil' Kagehina au!

They were in the magazines, too, of course. Their perfectly sculpted faces were almost plastered onto the media. To this day, society ponders how they function so naturally. Some are uneasy. Their skin was just like a human's, except they weren't. They couldn't be.

Heavy snow drifted down from the dark blanket of clouds. Of course. That was obviously expected in late December. It was the kind of snow that fluttered to your eyelids and onto your scarf's fabric.

A boy wearing a plaid scarf noted this as he carried a crumpled gift box down a cold street. He couldn't swing his mind around the fact that he was just rejected. Which was this? Denial? Grief?

He wanted to wait until he was home, but the lukewarm tears were already dripping down his cheeks. He peeked at the display glass of a clothing store and saw his reflection. He immediately pulled his scarf up to the bridge of his nose.

There was a somewhat large gap in between the clothing shop and a bakery that released a fresh aroma. Kageyama, whiffing the smell, immediately thought of pork buns and reached for the bakery. However, a bulky cardboard box squished into the gap caught his attention.

There was a tag stapled on.

Name: whatever you want

Gender: male

Condition: used, still works properly

i can no longer care for this android, please take it in

The handwriting seemed rushed, judging by the way the words leaned forward and the spelling errors. Kageyama reached forward to open the lid of the box, but hesitated. Did he really want this? He knew what the box would contain. He would only have another burden on his hands. Could Kageyama spare a bit of his broken heart for whatever was inside?

He opened the cardboard lid.

Bright, orange hair greeted him. That was expected for an android. A young boy, no, an android, had folded his legs, causing him to sleep in an awkward position. He had on only a large t-shirt and shorts on.

"This is so weird," Kageyama kept mumbling to himself as he tried shaking the... "thing" awake. The robot didn't respond.

Kageyama knew kids from school who owned them. He overheard conversations of them discussing their new androids. Over time, like any other toy, they seemed to be discarded and put away. It was a sign the families got bored, yet the robots were a sign of a new generation of technology.

Kageyama scooped up the box and walked the way home, his boots crunching on the soft snow.

My parents are going to freak, he thought to himself as he set the boy on the couch. Without thinking, he took off his scarf and put it on the boy's small body. It was certainly tinier than the average height.

Kageyama didn't want to take his eyes off the boy, but he retrieved a cup of water in case the robot woke. He pulled up a small chair and checked his phone. It was midnight.

It was officially Christmas.

Kageyama had trouble rolling his mind over what just happened. He confessed, got rejected by her, felt lonely, picked up a weird robot-human thing and practically lugged him back home. He felt breathless, and his watery eyes were drooping.

Just as he fell asleep on the chair, the boy suddenly sat up with a jolt. This caused Kageyama to scoot back in his chair.

The boy's head turned to the sound. His pupils seemed to dilate when he saw Kageyama.

"Where's Miron?" He asked. His voice was perky and high pitched.

"Mm... The person that owned you? He left you on the streets." Kageyama was surprised how quickly his voice fell flat. Of course, he was always the "moody kid" at school.

The boy blinked, taking in the fact. "My master? He-he abandoned me?" He stuttered.

"I'm sure it's not your fault, kid..." Kageyama mumbled, too tired to talk.

His head perked up when he saw the boy crying. " It's okay... You don't need to cry... He couldn't take care of you, right?"

The boy shook his head. "No, he did... he was one of the best masters I ever had!"

Kageyama felt a twinge in his heart. So he was abandoned multiple times. Why, though?

Enough. It was night. Kageyama knew the kid was tired. And he was tired of hearing the sad whimper escape the kid's mouth.

"Listen. Drink that water."

With a hesitant hand, the boy lifted the cup to his mouth and drank.

"What's your name?"

"Miron called me Hinata."

Kageyama went to his room, returned with a blanket, told the boy to lie down, and placed the blanket on top.

"Just go to sleep."

"But-"

Kageyama already went back to his room.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite his previous words, Kageyama could not fall asleep that night. Not with a total stranger/robot right in the other room. In the morning, a seemingly new voice woke Kageyama up.

"Hiiiiiii." A bright voice crowed.

Kageyama shifted, immediately sitting up to stare at a bright Hinata. He groaned on the inside. This was going to be a pain to explain to his mother, even though she rarely was home. Not even for Christmas.

Despite the slight annoyance, Kageyama asked Hinata, "did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yep!"

What happened yesterday was a blur in Kageyama's sleepy mind. His crush dumping him. Picking up a cardboard box with the boy in it.

"Um... Do you want anything?"

Hinata cocked his head. "What does that mean?"

"Want? Do you, like need anything? Food? Water? I don't know." Kageyama questioned. He knew it was a bad decision to pick up the boy. Someone else could've walked by. Maybe then, Hinata would've been in a safer place.

"I'm fine." Hinata's voice suddenly turned slightly robotic. Well, duh, Kageyama thought. Still, something was off-putting in those two words. He yawned, got up and walked over to the small kitchen that was connected with the living room. This apartment was much too small for two people to live in. Or, a human and a robot.

Kageyama checked the small fridge. It was sad seeing how little it contained. Kageyama pulled out a carton milk and cereal.

"Do androids like you have a certain diet?" Kageyama asked while pouring milk into the bowl.

"Not really, but- NOOOOOOOO!"

Kageyama almost spilled the milk. "What?"

"You're supposed to pour the cereal first!" Hinata whined.

"Tell me about your old owner," Kageyama commanded Hinata.

"Miron? Yeah! He was really nice," he said casually. "Let's see... He took me out on walks all the time, I got my own bedroom, and yeah!"

Then why were you abandoned?

"I guess I do miss him..." Hinata's eyes lowered.

"Don't worry, I've been rejected too," Kageyama mumbled to himself, cleaning the dishes. He peeked at his cell phone between the plates. Still no call from mom, or dad, or from her. Hinata looked somewhat upset.

"What's wrong?" Kageyama asked.

"Nothing." Hinata automatically responded. Clearly, Hinata was hiding something. Perhaps his system didn't allow him to say it? In a weird way, robots were even more confusing than humans.

AN: Heyyyy I'm two chapters in and I'm already being inactive. Sorry y'all :) This chapter is a bit short, I'm going to promise some big chapters *evil laugh*

Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**An: Do you guys want a schedule for this fanfic? Let me know!**

It wasn't unheard of for these androids to accompany the students to school. After all, they were built to have an ability to learn and progress both physically and mentally. Kageyama wasn't sure of what to do with Hinata. Luckily, he wouldn't have school until next week, after winter break was over.

It ultimately surprised Kageyama that Hinata had no idea how to do the dishes and chores. Wasn't that one of the basic purposes for robots?

"I was never taught…" Hinata admitted. "Mostly, I was just left home without much to do."

So, after eating a very light lunch. Kageyama told Hinata to bring the dishes and cups to the sink. He handed Hinata a towel and hand soap.

"Get to cleaning. When you're done scrubbing the dishes, make sure to put the cups on the top of the dishwasher, and the large plates on the bottom."

Well… Hinata tried, at least. He accidentally made a spill from the water bouncing off of a spoon and falling onto the floor. He also almost dropped a plate, but Kageyama managed to swiftly dive in.

"WOAH!" Hinata said, in awe. "You must be really good at sports!"

"Sports?" Kageyama wondered for a while. "I used to play volleyball in middle school."

"Volleyball? What's that?"

After finally washing all dishes, he wiped his hands and fell onto his couch.

"This is so hard," he whined. "I wish I was human so I could laze around all day and force robots to clean stuff."

Kageyama flicked Hinata's head. "Oh please, you're in better hands than most androids."

Hinata looked up. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" Kageyama sighed. There's been signs of them practically being abused by their owners. Some are taken apart just so the owners can obtain rare pieces and gears.

"That's gross!"

"You should be lucky. Your previous owner probably mistreated you, too."

"He did not!" Hinata fumed.

"Really? Then why did he leave you out on the streets?"

Hinata pouted and stuck his tongue out at Kageyama. What a childish kid, Kageyama thought. How was he brought up like this? Surely he at least learned the basics.


End file.
